Surgical instrument.



'No. 702,443. Patented lune I7, 902;

L. n. KRATZMUELLEB. SURGICAL INSTRUMENT.

(Applicatioz; filed May 1 5, 1901.

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES LOUIS R. KRATZMUELLER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SURGICAL IN 'STRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 702,443, dated June 17,1902.

Application filed May 15,1901.

Serial No. 60,346. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LOUIS R. KRATZMUEL- LER, a citizen of the UnitedStates of America, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook andState of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSurgical Instruments, of which the following is a specification. .1

My invention has been applied particularly to intubators and extubatorsor instruments for inserting tubes into the larynx and removing sametherefrom; but the jaws may be modified in form, so as to be applied forother purposes, such as pincers, nippers, 827C.

The main objects of my invention are to provide an improved instrumentof this class combining simplicity and positive operation, having animproved frictional device for adj usting the jaws in diiferent relativepositions and improved connections for-the jaws, permitting same to bereadily separated for cleaning and to be readily antisepticized. Iaccomplish these objects by the construction shown in the accompanyingdrawings, in i which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a combinedintubator and extubator constructed accord ing to my invention, theparts being shown in their normal position, with the jaws closed. Fig. 2is a top view,of the same. Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing the jawsextending inside of a tube, which is shown in vertical section.- Fig. 4is a section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1.

The device shown is made of two pieces of resilient wire. The shanks 1and 2 are substantially straight and parallel for a considerable part oftheir length. At one end they are bent approximately at right angles toform the jaws 3 and 5. The jaws are slightly tapered toward the ends andare preferably made with a half-round section, so that when together, asshown in Fig. 1, they form a rounded instrument which can readily beinserted into the tube.- The inner side of the shanks 1 and 2 are alsoflattened, except at the part forming the handle. The shank 1 is bentupon itself to form the loop'or handle 6 and thence returning to formthe member 7, substantially parallel to the member 14 of said shank 1,and at 8 being bent over and partly encircling the main part of saidshank 1. The inner surface 9 of the member 7 is also flattened. Theshank 2 is substantially parallel to the shank 1 to a point beyond thepart 8, where it is bent to form a lateral extension or bight 10,projecting upwardly between the members 14 and 7 and continuing below toform the triggerll. Both sides of the bight 10 and the trigger 11 arepreferably flattened where they come in contact with the inner sides ofthe members 14 and 7. The pivot 12 is rigidly secured to the shank 1 atits .union with its jaw 3. The shank 2 has a recess 15 for receiving thepivot 12 and is held in position by the pressure of the re silientmembers 14 and 7 against the bight 10. The handle 6 is made of such formthat when grasped by the hand of the operator the bight 10 is inconvenient position to be depressed by his thumb and the trigger 11 isconvenient to his index-finger.

The operation of the device is as follows: The jaws 3 and 5 when intheir closed position, as shown in Fig. 1, are inserted into the tube13. The operator presses upon the bight 10 with his thumb, thusseparating the jaws until they firmly grasp the tube. The tube may thenbe inserted into the larynx of the patient. The operator then pulls thetrigger 11 backward with his forefinger until the shank 2 comes incontact with the part 8, indicating that the jaws are closed and thatthe instrument is free to be removed. For ex-. tracting the tube theoperation is reversed. The members 7 and 14, hearing against the sidesof the bight 10 through the friction of said parts, retain the jaws inthe diiferent relative positions to which same may be adj usted by theoperator.

To remove the shank 2 and its jaw from connection with the shank 1 andits jaw, the operator will pull the trigger 11 downwardly until the jaw10 is removed from between the members 7 and 14. The shank 2 and its jawmay then be readily removed from the pivot 12. Said pivot 12 and therecess15 are not threaded, thus permitting the shanks to be readilyseparated for cleaning and antisepticizing.

It will be understood that various details of construction of the deviceshown may be altered without departing from the spirit of my invention.I therefore do not confine my self to such details except as hereinafterlimited in the claims.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A surgical instrument comprising a pair of jaws pivoted together andeach having a shank, one of the shanks having a laterallyextending partlying in the plane of its pivotal movement with said shank, and theother shank having a pair of members which have aresilient action towardeach other and against opposite sides of said laterally-extending part,said members being adapted to control the relative pivotal position ofsaid jaws through frictional contact with the sides of saidlaterally-extending part.

2. A surgical instrument comprising a pair of jaws pivoted together andeach having a shank, one of the shanks having a laterallyextending partlying in the plane of its pivotal movement with said shank, and having atrigger extending oppositely to said laterally-extending part, and theother shank having a pair of members which have a resilient actiontoward each other and against opposite sides of said laterally-extendingpart, said members being adapted to control the relative pivotalposition of said jaws through frictional contact with the sides of saidlaterallyeXtending part.

3. A surgical instrument comprising a pair of jaws pivoted together andeach having a shank, one of the shanks having a laterallyextending partlying in the plane of the pivotal movement of such shank, and the othershank being formed of resilient material bent upon itself and aroundsaid laterally-extending part in suitable manner to bear against eachside of same and through frictional con- 1 tact with opposite sides ofsaid laterally-extending part, to control the relative pivotal positionsof said jaws.

4. A surgical instrument comprising a pair of jaws pivoted together andeach having a shank, one of said shanks being bent upon itself to form alaterally-extending bight and thence continuing to form a triggerextending opposite to said bight, and the second shank bearing againstthe side of and extending rearward of said bight, being thence bent uponitself to form a handle, thence returning across and bearing against theopposite side of said bight and having its free end hooked over theopposite part of said second shank forward of said bight.

5. A surgical instrument comprising a pair of jaws pivoted together andeach having a shank, one of the shanks having a laterallyextending partlying in the plane of the pivotal movement of such shank, and the othershank having a member bearing against each side of saidlaterallyextending part and through frictional contact therewithcontrolling the relative pivotal positions of said jaws; the pivotalconnection of the jaws consisting of a pin rigid on one jaw and havingan unthreaded end projecting loosely into a recess in the other jaw andadapted for freely disconnecting the jaws in the manner specified whensaid laterally-extending part is withdrawn free from the members bearingagainst its sides.

Signed at Chicago this 11th day of May,

LOUIS R. KRATZMUELLER. Witnesses:

'WM. R. RUMMLER,

EUGENE A. RUMMLER.

